The ride kicks off a four-month push to collect 20,000 petition signatures in support of funding the city’s Bicycle Master Plan and all high-priority sidewalks. Afterward, everyone will get a petition packet so they can collect signatures for the drive.

An 11-year-old boy riding his bike on the sidewalk on Mesa Drive was struck by a car and injured last week. A rally to call for painting bike lanes on Mesa will take place Saturday. Photo courtesy Bike Austin

Second, Bike Austin will host a rally at noon at the corner of Mesa Drive and Far West Boulevard to encourage city officials to stripe bike lanes on Mesa Drive.

Crews removed existing combination bike-and-parking lanes on Mesa when they resurfaced the street last year. The city initially planned to paint dedicated bike lanes on one side of the street and a parking lane on the other, but a group of neighbors and City Council Member Sheri Gallo oppose the plan. They say that adding bike lanes would make the driving lanes too narrow.

“We have many young drivers and seniors in our community, and I feel the additional widths of our vehicle lanes are safer for everyone,” Gallo wrote in a January newsletter to her residents of her district.

Charlie VanSteennwijk, an 11-year-old Murchison Middle School student, was hit by his car while riding on a sidewalk along Mesa Drive last week. He suffered a concussion, broken teeth and a cut on his chin that required six stitches. He and his parents Anton and Amy will speak at the rally.

Bike Austin officials say a bicyclist in an on-street bike lane is more visible to motorists at intersections than someone riding on the sidewalk.

After the rally, participants will ride and walk to a Transportation Town Hall meeting hosted by Gallo at the Austin Board of Realtors to deliver their message in person.

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About the Author

Pam LeBlanc writes about fitness and travel for the Austin American-Statesman. She has worked for the Statesman since 1998 and written her weekly fitness column, Fit City, since 2004.

Pam rides a bicycle to work, swims on a team and runs with her girlfriends. All her hobbies, from scuba diving to horseback riding and snow skiing, involve bulky gear. She lives in Austin with her husband, who is really good at applying bandages and ice packs.